DATE: August 29, 2007

CONTACT: Jeff Leyh, (843) 327-1388
jleyh@clemson.edu

WRITER: Angela Nixon, (864) 656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

Clemson steps up game-day recycling efforts

CLEMSON – Fans attending Clemson home football games this year will see some new additions to many parking lots: recycle bins.

Bins for cans and plastic and glass bottles have been available in several parking lots on football game days for more than 10 years, thanks to efforts from Students for Environmental Awareness (SEA), but this year Clemson is ramping up its efforts to encourage fans to recycle cans and glass and plastic bottles.

“We want to encourage fans at the games to recycle as much as possible, and the best way to do that is to make it easier for them,” said Jeff Leyh, co-president of SEA. “We want the entire Clemson family to take part in Clemson’s efforts to become a sustainable campus.”

In past seasons, about two dozen bins were placed around campus on game days. SEA will more than double the number of bins on campus at games this season, with support from PalmettoPride, South Carolina’s anti-litter organization, and  Clemson’s Solid Green initiative.

Fans should look for blue bins with the Solid Green logo. Bins will be clearly marked for cans, glass or plastic.

“It is great to see our students taking the lead in recycling efforts, and I hope that Clemson’s alumni and fans will follow their model,” said Cheryl DeSellier, chairwoman of the Solid Green committee.

According to records from the university’s waste management contractor, an average of 25 tons of trash is collected on campus each football game. Currently, about 1 percent of aluminum and glass from that trash is recycled. SEA’s goal is to have 18 percent recycled, to match the overall recycling rate on campus.